14 Frame change: Re-connect with Nature by Next Now Photo credit: Savory Institute What became clear by interviewing many Ashoka Fellows, is that in order to solve the interconnected challenges in the field – biodiversity loss, resource over-extraction, soil degradation, climate change – we need to trigger a fundamental mindset shift. We need to shift how humanity sees its relationship with nature. A mindset of human superiority to and separation from nature has infiltrated our collective understanding of the world. Only by recognising our connection to and reliance on nature that we will be able to unravel the damage our global, interconnected systems are causing. Across the world we are seeing that Fellows are approaching the field of Planet & Climate in radically different ways, yet two trends stand out to us in how they think about solutions. Photo credit: Fundacja Laka 1. The first is that social entrepreneurs have turned the complexity and interconnected nature of the climate crisis into an opportunity for creating compelling solutions that tackle multiple issues at once. We see that as they enact solutions for climate change, our Fellows are also unlocking a myriad of other benefits: creating livelihoods, improving health outcomes, increasing equality and more. This challenges the assumption that avoiding the climate crisis requires trade-offs and sacrifice. We are seeing the opposite: the solutions can make the world more equitable, more just, more joyous. Photo credit: Anatolian Grasslands Ultimately, averting the climate crisis and the other existential threats facing us will require a deep transformation of the very foundations of our lifestyles and economies around the world. 2. The second thing we heard from Fellows is the importance of involving everyone. The scale and speed of action required means that we need to mobilise everyone, particularly those who will be first and worst hit by climate change, typically the people who have traditionally been excluded from the environmental movement.
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